David Lynch slated to take over Heart and replace it with St. Vincent

1270 Valenicia, as it currently stands as Heart. Photo: Kat Wade / Special to the Chronicle

David Lynch is finally getting his own restaurant.

Lynch

David Lynch in the Quince wine room. Photo via Quince.

The celebrated wine director of Quince and Cotogna came to the Bay Area after spending years at some of New York’s best-regarded restaurants like the Spotted Pig and Babbo, the latter where he received the James Beard Award for Outstanding Wine Service as its wine director. He’s also the author of Vino Italiano, and his writing has also garnered him a James Beard Award for Journalism.

Now, he’s headed to the Mission to open a restaurant in the space that currently houses Heart. Lynch and Heart owner Jeff Segal have a deal in place to hand over the wine bar; the deal is expected to close in mid-December. Segal is moving back to New York for personal reasons, and he says it was very important to sell Heart to someone who will continue what he started in the neighborhood.

“I think David is the ideal guy to take over Heart and my space and further what we’ve done there,” Segal says. “I’ve always had enormous respect for David and what he’s done in the wine world. Part of it is because we share a common background, both having been writers before going into wine, but largely it’s just that David is one of the top talents in wine, bar none.”

Segal continues: “And despite that, he’s a truly hardworking, humble, honest guy. None of the pin on your lapel pomp and circumstance with David … just great respect for the products he’s selling.”

Heart’s last day of business will be December 10. At that point, Mr. Lynch will get construction started on his new restaurant, to be named St. Vincent.

The moniker is taken from the patron saint of wine growers. The place won’t be Italian though; Lynch describes the ~65 seat spot as an “American osteria,” with the osteria label applied more in spirit than in Italian nature: “a very convivial, wine-on-every-table kind of scene.”

Chris Kronner will be the consulting chef. The former Bar Tartine chef currently has a private chef gig, but he’ll come on at St. Vincent to create a full restaurant menu of pub-inspired fare. There will be some family-style plates (remember that aforementioned convivial atmosphere), but probably no wine bar salumi. But expect a full menu, including vegetarian options and everything.

There will be wine at St. Vincent, of course. Plenty of Italian wines will show up, as should be expected, but there will also be a good deal of non-Italian options. The format will be creative, too. This time around, Lynch — who put together the all-$40 wine list at Cotogna — will concoct a list of 100 bottles, all under $100. The twist is that any bottle on the list can be had as a half-bottle — for half the price. So if there’s a $70 wine you’ve been eying, but can’t finish a whole one, Lynch will open it for $35.

The Heart space currently doesn’t have a full kitchen, so the remodel will build one out. The rest of the 1600 square foot space will get a complete aesthetic overhaul (i.e., no more art gallery component), with the goal of opening St. Vincent in the first quarter of 2011.

Also, do note that David Lynch will remain the wine director at Quince and Cotogna indefinitely. He says that Michael and Lindsay Tusk have been very supportive during this move.